Realm of Ash Series: Soul Bond (Book 1)

CHAPTER 8 - KRI

Beyond the Amber Cliffs, the black bird perched on the tip of a snowy, leafless tree branch. A black, weightless, feathered wonder sat amongst the vast expanse of the soft, silent falling ashes. A single chirp echoed through the mountainous valley, gazing towards the distant mountain peak skyline, warped by hundreds of obscure shadowy creatures sprawling down the mountain face towards the steadfast army awaiting the impending attack below.

The sun bleached the infantries silver-steel armour as the demon force strode down towards the piercing sunlit infantry below. The rampaging shadows endlessly poured below the black cloud-capped mountain. Downward came the stampeding onslaught of Otharoks hell spawned creations, the Gor'rok. Their frames robust as mountains and hides tougher than dragon scales.

Their backs serrated with red fragmented, crystal shards and tusks as black as their shadows. The berserkers barrelled downward hunting the scent of fear with their trunks. Their foreheads tilted downwards leading the barrage, reinforced by their dense exposed skull sloping to meet their trunk and fleshless, bony jaws. Deep bone-like protrusions cast piercing yellow eyes from within the holes in their heads. Their size greater than a mountain bear and feet wider than trunks of an oak, they came trampling. The Gor'rok's sheer size and weight of these hard shelled, long tusked, scale-armoured beasts came into view of the opposing forces, charging upward to meet the demons decent for first blood, awaiting at the frontline. Bloodshed commenced as the raging monsters tusks shattered the shields of the defending men with a thundering clash of steel. The wailing beasts roared with the war cries of men, and the wailing screams of women and children fleeing the village behind the defending infantry. Each warrior crushed and dispatched under the crushing weight of the beasts or violently pierced from their tusks. With each kill, the Gor'rok's spinal fragments of red crystals lining their spine glowed bright, then dark once more, bolstering their strength and ever-more unstoppable.

The last standing protector of Brightburn Pass, collapsed and within seconds, trampled to death. Fleeing screams continued within Brightburn's settlement but the mountain valley echoes of roaring beasts drowned out their cries. The Gor'rok charged their onslaught towards the helpless settlement of scared mothers and confused children.

In that moment, a gust of wind shook the tree branch, and the blackbird took flight.

* * *

Akela whimpered an anxious howl to snap Ramala out of her fierce vacant gaze. He nuzzled his warm nose into her ribs to break her trance. Ramala blinked through tear filled eyes and shook her head returning to reality.

"What did you see?" Balmarg leant across the low-lit table, showing concern for the shaman, "you've seen something terrible, haven't you?"

Familiar to his advisors behaviour, Ramala had broken from their discussion over plans for Kri and his coming-of-age trial and had been enraptured in a state of vacancy.

"He has broken through", Ramala croaked through a shaking hoarse voice. Balmarg stared intensely into the eyes of the shaman. Motionless, the chief was frozen in place.

"Impossible". Preserving his static, fearless demeanour, Balmarg trusted Ramala as the beacon of knowledge concerning eldritch activity, deities of the outer-realm and throughout the Evergreen Plains. It was rare he doubted her judgements, but on this occasion he had hoped she was wrong.

"Are you sure?" He leant in closer.

"His demonic militia will trample our soil and sap the light from our skies". Leaning back into her creaking, oak chair, Ramala was struck by the sinking sensation of helplessness.

"We must prepare ourselves".

Fearful, yet the chief conjured as much determination as he could.

"Agreed".